1759 The British Museum opened in Montague House as a “universal museum.” Physician and naturalist Sir Hans Sloane had gathered a collection of curiosities of around 71,000 objects of all kinds including some 40,000 printed books, 7,000 manuscripts, extensive natural history specimens including 337 volumes of dried plants, prints and drawings including those by Albrecht Dürer and antiquities from Sudan, Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Ancient Near and Far East and the Americas. He wanted the collection to remain whole. Sloane was an Ulsterman. We have been through the Museum many times.
1777 Vermont declared its independence of Britain and New York colony. The subsequent Vermont constitution is the first written one in North America with universal male suffrage and the abolition of slavery. During the Revolutionary War, it was a co-belligerent with the colonies but in no way united with them. After the end of the War, for two years Vermont was an independent and sovereign state. It became the fourteenth state in 1792 (admitted to balance the slave site of Kentucky).
1797 The first Top Hat was worn by haberdasher James Heatherington in England. When Heatherington stepped from his shop wearing his unusual headgear, a crowd quickly gathered to stare. The gathering soon turned into a crowd crush as people pushed and shoved against each other. As a result, Heatherington was summoned to appear in court and fined £50 for breaching the peace. He was also charged with appearing “on the public highway wearing a tall structure of shining lustre and calculated to terrify people, frighten horses and disturb the balance of society.” However, within a month, he was overwhelmed with orders for the new headwear.
1933 ‘The Change’ at Amana Iowa ending communism in the United States. After a vote in 1932 the Amana colonies became a joint stock company in a corporation. The colonists began using the US dollar among themselves for the first time. The Amana Colonies were founded in 1843. We have been there a number of times for eye filling. Amana turned itself into a manufacturer of refrigeration.
2001 Wikipedia went on line. Not even twenty years old and already a know-it-all. At the time there were so many pointless and amusing discussions at university committees about banning Wikipedia. No doubt there had been earlier committee discussions in the very same room about banning pencils with erasers.
Skip to content